• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제14권1_2호
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• pp.1-12
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• 1999

Recently, several new methods for the detection of genetic damages in vitro and in vivo based on molecular biological techniques were introduced according to the rapid progress in toxicology combined with cellular and molecular biology. Among these methods, mouse lymphoma thymidine kanase (tk) gene forward mutation assay, single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay) and transgenic animal and cell line model as a target gene of lac I (Big Blue) and lac Z (Muta Mouse) gene mutation are newly introduced based on molecular toxicological approaches. The mouse lymphoma tk$\^$+/-/ gene assay (MOLY) using L5178Y tk$\^$+/-/ mouse lymphoma cell line is one of the mammalian forward mutation assays, and has many advantages and more sensitive than hprt assay. The target gene of MOLY is a heterozygous tk$\^$+/-/ gene located in 11 chromosome, so it is able to detect the wide range of genetic changes like point mutation, deletion, rearrangement, and mitotic recombination within tk gene or deletion of entire chromosome 11. The comet assay is a rapid, simple, visual and sensitive technique for measuring and analysing DNA breakages in mammalian cells, Also, transgenic animal and cell line models, which have exogenous DNA incorporated into their genome, carry recoverable shuttle vector containing reporter genes to assess endogenous effects or alteration in specific genes related to disease process, are powerful tools to study the mechanism of mutation in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Also in vivo acridine orange supravital staining micronucleus assay by using mouse peripheral reticulocytes was introduced as an alternative of bone marrow micronucleus assay. In this respect, there was an International workshop on genotoxicity procedure (IWGTP) supported by OECD and EMS (Environmental Mutagen Society) at Washington D. C. in March 25-26, 1999. The objective of IWGTP is to harmonize the testing procedures internationally, and to extend to finalization of OECD guideline, and to the agreement of new guidelines under the International Conference of Harmonization (ICH) for these methods mentioned above. Therefore, we introduce and review the principle, detailed procedure, and application of MOLY, comet assay, transgenic mutagenesis assay and supravital staining micronucleus assay.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• 제1권3호
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• pp.179-188
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• 2005

To develop the novel anti-allergic drug, many sophoricoside derivatives were synthesized. Among these derivatives, JSH-II-3, VI-3, VII-3, VIII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt) were selected and subjected to high throughput toxicity screening (HTTS) because they revealed strong IL-5 inhibitory activity and limitation of quantity. Single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet) assay, mouse lymphoma thymidine kinase ($tk^{+/-}$) gene assay (MOLY), chromosomal aberration assay in mammalian cells and Ames reverse mutation assay in bacterial system were used as simplified, inexpensive, short-term in vitro screening tests in our laboratory. Through the primary screening using the comet assay, we could choose the first candidates of sophoricoside derivatives with no genotoxic potentials as JSH-VI-3, VII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt). Also JSH-VII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt) are non-mutagenic in MOLY assay, while JSH-II-3 is mutagenic at high concentration with the presence of metabolic activation system in both comet assay and MOLY assay. The selected derivatives (JSH-VI-3, VII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt) are not mutagenic in S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains both in the presence and absence of metabolic activation. From results of chromosomal aberration assay, 6 h treatment of JSH-VI-3, VII-3 and VII-20 (sodium salt) were not revealed clastogenicity both in the presence and absence of S-9 mixture. Therefore, we suggests that JSH-VI-3, VII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt), as the optimal candidates with both no genotoxic potential and IL-5 inhibitory effects must be chosen. To process the development into new anti-inflammatory drug of these derivatives, further investigation will need.

• 한국환경성돌연변이발암원학회지
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.89-94
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• 2001

Recently, single cell gel electrophoresis, also known as comet assay, is widely used for the detection and measurement of DNA strand breaks in vitro and in vivo in many toxicological fields such as radiation exposure, human monitoring and toxicity evaluation. As well defined, comet assay is a sensitive, rapid and visual method for the detection of DNA strand breaks in individual cells. Briefly, a small number of damaged cells suspended in a thin agarose gel on a microscope slide were lysed, unwinded, electrophoresed, and stained with a fluorescent DNA binding dye. The electric current pulled the charged DNA from the nucleus such that relaxed and broken DNA fragments migrated further. The resulting images which were subsequently named for their appearance as comets, were measured to determine the extent of DNA damages. However, some variations could be occurred in procedures, laboratories's conditions and kind of cells used. Hence, to overcome and to harmonize these matters in comet assay, International Workshop on Genotoxicity Test Procedure (IWGTP) was held with several topics including comet assay at Washington D.C. on March, 1999. In spite of some consensus in procedures and conditions in IWGTP, there are some problems still remained to be solved. In this respect, we attempted to set the practical optimal conditions in the experimental procedures such as lysis, unwinding, electrophoresis and neutralization conditions and so on. First of all, we determined optimal lysis and unwinding time by using 150 $\mu$M methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) which is usually used concentration. And then, we determined optimal positive control concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and MMS in the presence and absence of S9 metabolic activation system, respectively.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.89-100
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• 2004

The comet assay (also called the single-cell gel electrophoresis assay) has been widely used for detecting DNA damage and repair in individual cells. Since the conventional methods of evaluating comet assay data using frequency statistics are unsatisfactory we developed a new quantitative measure of DNA damage/repair that is based on all information residing in the dose/time-response curves of a comet experiment. Blood samples were taken from 25 breast cancer patients before undergoing radiotherapy. The comet assay was performed under alkaline conditions using isolated lymphocytes. Tail DNA, tail length, tail moment and tail inertia of the comet were measured for each patient at four doses of $\gamma$-rays (0, 2, 4 and 8 Gy) and at four time points after irradiation (0, 10, 20 and 30 min) using 100 cells each. The resulting three-dimensional dose-time response surface was modeled by multiple regression, and the second derivative, termed 2D, on dose and time was determined. A software module was programmed in SAS/AF to compute 2D values. We applied the new method successfully to data obtained from cancer patients to be assessed for their radiation sensitivity. We computed the 2D values for the four damage measures, i.e., tail moment, tail length, tail DNA and tail inertia, and examined the pairwise correlation coefficients of 2D both on the log scale and the unlogged scale. 2D values based on tail moment and tail DNA showed a high correlation and, therefore, these two damage measures can be used interchangeably as far as DNA repair is concerned. 2D values based on tail inertia have a correlation profile different from the other 2D values which may reflect different facets of DNA damage/repair. Using the dose-time response surface, other statistical models, e.g., the proportional hazards model, become applicable for data analysis. The 2D approach can be applied to all DNA repair measures, Le., tail moment, tail length, tail DNA and tail inertia, and appears to be superior to conventional evaluation methods as it integrates all data of the dose/time-response curves of a comet assay.

• 한국환경독성학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경독성학회 2003년도 추계국제학술대회
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• pp.159-159
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• 2003

Comet assay is a potential monitoring tool because DNA strand breakage may be produced by a wide range of agents. The comet assay, also called the single-cell gell electrophoresis (SCGE) assay, is rapid and sensitive method for the detection of DNA damage in cells. This study was performed for the identification of DNA damage in the cells from flounders and clams exposed to PAHs. As a control experiments, flounder and clam cells were exposed to $H_2O$$_2$. The cells exposed to $H_2O$$_2$ were displayed a typical nuclei movement DNA damage of cells were significantly increased when the isolated cells from the blood of flounders and the tissue of clams were in vitro exposed to the different concentrations (5, 10, 50, 100 ppb) of five kinds of PAHs (benzo[a]pyrene, pyrene, fluoranthene, anthrancene, and phenanthrene). For the in vivo test, flounders and clams were exposed to the different concentrations of BaP for 4 days. The results showed that DNA strand breakage was effected by the concentration of BaP and the duration of exposure. In high concentration of BaP, the mean tail lengths of nuclei was longer than it In low concentration, while the mean size of head DNA decreased. In this research, both in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity of PAHs could be biomonitored by the comet assay. Especially, clams and flounders seem to be useful as materials for monitoring genotoxic damage by comet assay.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.225-230
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• 2004

방사선에 노출된 고추유묘의 잎으로부터 세포핵을 분리하여 단세포전기영동방법인 comet 분석을 통하여 핵 DNA의 손상정도를 조사하였다. Comet 분석에서 꼬리부분의 길이 (T)와 머리부분의 길이 (H)를 측정하여 T/H 비율을 조사하였다. 무처리세포는 T/H 비율이 1.28이었으나 50 및 100 Gy의 방사선을 처리한 세포는 각각 3.54 및 3.39로 방사선처리에 의해 상당량의 핵 DNA가 손상을 입은 것으로 나타났다. Comet의 head-DNA량은 무처리가 76.8%였으나 50 및 100 Gy를 처리한 세포는 각각 55.9% 및 59.5%를 보였다. 고선량의 방사선을 처리하기 전에 미리 20 Gy 이하의 저선량 방사선을 종자에 전처리하였을 경우 종자의 발아 및 생장에 대한 영향은 없었지만, 후속 고선량에 대한 핵 DNA의 손상은 경감되는 경향을 보였다.

• 한국환경성돌연변이발암원학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경성돌연변이발암원학회 2003년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.133-133
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• 2003

• 한국독성학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국독성학회 2001년도 International Symposium on Signal transduction in Toxicology
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• pp.116-116
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• 2001

The alkaline Comet assay has been used with increasing popularity to investigate the level of DNA damage in terms of strand breaks and alkaline labile sites in biomonitoring studies within the last decade in western countries.(omitted)

• 한국식품영양과학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.594-598
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• 2002

과일의 방사선 조사 여부 확인과 저장에 따른 변화를 측정하기 위해 감마선 조사로 유도된 DNA손상을 comet assay로 확인하였다. 키위, 오렌지, 배를 구입하여 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 kGy의 저 선량으로 조사하고 비 조사 시료와 조사 시료간의 DNA 손상정도를 tail length와 tail moment로 측정하였다. 과일 씨의 DNA를 형광 염색하여 이미지 분석기를 이용하여 comet 양상을 관찰한 결과, 모든 시료에서 비 조사 시료보다 조사시료의 tail length가 더 길었으며 조사 선량이 증가할수록 tail length가 유의적으로 길게 나타났다. Tail moment로 나타난 결과도 이와 비슷하였으나 전체적으로 tail length에 비해 그 민감도가 낮았다. 방사선 조사한 과일을 저온에서 3개월 동안 저장한 후에도 저장 전과 마찬가지로 모든 시료에서 비 조사시료보다 조사 시료의 tail length가 더 길었으며, 조사 선량이 증가할수록 tail length가 길게 나타나, 저장 후에도 comet assay를 이용해 조사 시료와 조사 시료의 방사선 조사여부를 검지할 수 있었다 따라서 본 연구결과 comet assay는 신선한 과일과 일정기간 저장한 과일의 방사선 조사여부 판별에 유용하게 사용될 수 있음을 알 수 있었다.

• 한국환경생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경생물학회 2002년도 학술대회
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• pp.145-153
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• 2002

유해 화학 물질류에 의해 오염된 해양 환경 시료의 환경독성 수준을 평가하기 위하여 다양한 화학물질에 대해 민감성이 우수한 생물학적 독성평가기법을 개발 하고자하였다. 지속성 유기오염 물질 중 다환 방향 족 탄화수소(PAHs)를 처리한 광어(Conger myriaster)와 개조개(Saxidomus pupurata)의 DNA 손상정도를 single cell gel electrophoresis assay(comet assay)를 통해 분석하였다. PAHs 중 광양만에서 높은 농도로 검출되는 benzo(a)pyrene을 농도별(0, 10, 50, 100 ppb)로 처리한 후 2일과 4일에 광어의 혈액세포와 개조개의 근육세포를 채취해 comet assay를 실시하였다. benso(a)pyrene에 대한 DNA 손상정도를 처리된 농도와 생물종에 따라 다르게 나타났는데 광어의 혈액세포는 2일에 가장 DNA 손상정도가 높았고, 4일에는 회복되는 경향을 나타냈다. 개조개의 근육세포는 시간이 지나면서 DNA 손상정도가 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 이와 같은 결과는 comet assay 기법이 유해 화학물질로 오염된 해양생물 종의 환경독성을 검색하는 유용한 수단이 될 수 있음을 보여준다.